2021 NFL Draft: Applying Bill Parcells’ quarterback rules to QB class

Mac Jones, Alabama Crimson Tide

• Be a three-year starter: No
• Be a senior in college: No
• Graduate from college: Yes
• Start 30 games: No (17)
• Win 23 games: No (16)
• Post a 2-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio: Yes (56:7)
• Complete at least 60 percent of passes thrown: Yes (74.3%)

Criteria met: 3/7

Is Mac Jones really a franchise quarterback, or is he a product of a dominant Alabama team? You could argue it both ways. Among all the quarterbacks we’ve listed, Jones leads all of them in completion percentage by far. He completed 74.3% of his passes, which is 5.9% higher than the next best guy (Justin Fields). To me, accuracy is one of, if not the most important thing teams should look for in a quarterback.

On the other hand, will scouts argue that Jones’ completion percentage was a product of having a ridiculous group of receivers? He had Jaylen Waddle and Heisman winner DeVonta Smith to throw to. Both guys are likely going in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. I’ve seen Jones mocked in the first round of the draft, but the questions about Jones are definitely there. Obviously, if we’re going by Bill Parcells’ quarterback rules, Jones wouldn’t be a first-round pick, but we’ll see if teams searching for a quarterback feel the same way.

Kyle Trask, Florida Gators

• Be a three-year starter: No
• Be a senior in college: Yes
• Graduate from college: Yes
• Start 30 games: No (22)
• Win 23 games: No (16)
• Post a 2-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio: Yes (69:15)
• Complete at least 60 percent of passes thrown: Yes (67.9%)

Criteria met: 4/7

Kyle Trask is interesting. Using the criteria, Trask has the second-highest rating among all the quarterbacks we’re looking at. He was a senior, he graduated, he has a great touchdown-to-interception ratio, and he has a high completion percentage. Where he lacks is his starting experience and games played and won. The reason for that is, he was a late riser. He didn’t actually start until his junior season, and that was only after Feleipe Franks went down with an injury.

When Trask took over, he made the most of his opportunity. The remainder of his junior year, Trask led the Florida Gators to an 8-2 record. Trask continued that success in his senior year, getting the Gators off to an 8-1 start. For a little while, Trask was being talked about as the Heisman leader. Had Trask started earlier in his college career, he likely would have reached the 30 games started and 23 games won marks. That also would have put him as a three-year starter, which would have given Trask all seven of the criteria to check off Bill Parcells’ quarterback rules. It’ll be interesting to see where Trask lands in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Quarterback rankings according to Bill Parcells’ criteria

1. Trevor Lawrence (6/7)
2. Kyle Trask (4/7)
3. Zach Wilson & Mac Jones (3/7)
4. Justin Fields and Trey Lance (2/7)

To recap, none of these six quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft met all of Bill Parcells’ criteria. Lawrence was by far the best, meeting six of the seven, confirming he’s the top quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft class. The second was Trask, who could possibly be a first-round pick, but I doubt he’s the second quarterback off the board. Then we have two ties for the third (Wilson and Jones) and fourth spots (Fields and Lance).

Outside of confirming Lawrence is the top quarterback, this system for evaluating quarterbacks didn’t really help us get a better picture of who should be ranked where. It probably just made things a little more confusing, but it is an interesting way to evaluate these guys. Only time will tell how well this evaluation system worked on the 2021 NFL Draft class.